"There is no other part of the country as devastated by narcotic addiction as northern New England," said Robert Lubran, director of the division of Pharmacologic Therapies at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). "There and in Appalachia. It's really hard to understand."

Buprenorphine, which became available in the U.S. as a treatment for opiate addiction two years ago, offers more attractive features than the current methadone treatment. For instance, unlike methadone, buprenorphine doesn't require daily visits to a clinic. Instead, doctors can write prescriptions that can be filled at local pharmacies.

Lubran said buprenorphine is an ideal treatment for addicted individuals who live in remote areas away from methadone clinics or are hesitant to go to clinics because of the stigma attached to them.

Currently, only half of the certified physicians in Maine are using buprenorphine to treat patients. Doctors contend that the requirements involved to prescribe buprenorphine, including taking a one-day substance misuse and addiction management course, are inconvenient and don't provide solid clinical training. Other doctors say they have all the patients they can handle.

"On the surface, it doesn't sound like much of an impediment," said Gordon Smith, director of the Maine Medical Association. "But I don't know of any other drug that you need to take a course for. I wish I could say we have a game plan. Most doctors would agree that buprenorphine should be available, but the barriers are real."

Expanding the number of doctors who prescribe buprenorphine is a top priority for Maine's Office of Substance Abuse. "The methadone clinics are all full, and all the buprenorphine doctors can't take any more patients," said Kim Johnson, director of Maine's Office of Substance Abuse. "There is simply no place left to send an opiate addict who needs medication to get control of his disease."

Read more about buprenorphine:

National Poll of Physicians Finds Barriers to Widespread Buprenorphine Use

Hot Issues: Buprenorphine

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